Alarm clock



June 5, 1923.

R. S. WATT ALARM CLOCK Filed Dec. 1. 1922 Qwuemtoz I j a Patented June 5, 1923.

ROBERT S. WATT, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ALARM CLOCK.

Application filed December To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT S. WYATT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Alarm Clocks, of which the following is a specification sufilcient to enable those skilled in the art to which the inven tion appertains to utilize the same.

My improvements relate to alarm clocks generally, and particularly to the class thereofcin which provision is made for a primary and secondary alarm as heretofore known in the state of the art. My object is to provide means, to be incorporated in the clock-work as manufactured, or capable of application thereto'thereafter asan attachment, whereby an incipient warning may be effected automatically by the resonator a prescribed time before that set for the re lease of the main or prolonged alarm, so

that the latter may be shut off manually and entirely, for the time being, if so desired, as when unnecessary or undesirable under the circumstances; or may otherwlse in due course be allowed to ring continuously for a' definite period, as heretofore. To this end, my invention consists in the specific construction, combination and arrangement of arts and appurtenances herein described an claimed, whereby the alarm mechanism is actuated and controlled, all as hereinafter fully set forth. p

In the accompanying drawings I exem plify a practical embodiment of the essential features of my invention in conpmctron with a clock movement of well known type, although I do not limit myself to the identical form and COIIStTUCtlOIl of parts shown, since changes and modifications may be resorted to in minor details in adapting my improvement to various combinations of arrangements of clock work without departing from the spirit and intent of my invention in this respect.

With this understanding,

Fig. 1, represents an elevation of one side of a clock work frame, and portions of a clock work of well known type;

Fig. 2, is a lower end view of the frame showing the essential parts of my alarm control device in looking position;

Fig. 3, is a like view showing the position of the parts when the incipient alarm is actuated;

Serial No. 604,299.

Fig. 4, is atop view of the alarm setting said alarm escapement spring pawl, illustrating its function as related to the alarm escapement wheel;

Fig. 11, is a diagrammatic representation of a portion of the alarm escapement wheel and the escapement pawl teeth as related thereto.

F, represents the supporting frame of a clock movement of any ordinary type, parts only of the works being shown in Fig. 1. sufficient to indicate the co-relation of my alarm control device therewith. Thus (i, represents the alarm escapement wheel which, when released, actuates the resonator hammer h, through the medium of the rock lever 7 and its connection rod r, in a man'- ner well known in the art, said rock lever 7', being held normally by the dog d, controlled by the time mechanism of the clock in the usual way.

S, is my spring pawl for the control of cated in 1, and its forward or operative extremity is bent over substantially at right angles to the shank to constitute the detent member a, formed with a shoulder 8, and tooth 8 the latter being longer, or of greater projection, than the aforesaid shoulder s, as will be seen by reference more particularly to Figs. 8, 9 and 10, of the drawings. The elastic resilience of the spring S, tends constantly to hold the shoulder's. and the tooth 8 out of engagement with the teeth of the alarm escapement wheel, as in Fig. 10.

E, is the alarm setting spindle mounted upon and between the front and rear side plates of the frame F. as shown more particularly in Fig. 2, of the drawings, and provided with the usual knurled setting handle (2, (Fig. 2) at one extremity. At or near its other extremity it has rigidly attached to it a finger e, for contact with the edge of an annular cam is, integral with the gear wheel K, which is slidably and rotatably mounted on said alarm setting spindle E, but otherwise independent thereof. This gear wheel K, meshes with a pinion p, driven by the main train of clock gearing.

The spring pawl S, bears against the hub FL, of the gear wheel-K, as shown more particularly in Figs. 2, 3 and 6, of the drawings, and therebytends constantly to hold the edge of the annular cam 70, against the finger 0, of the alarm setting spindle E. Said annular cam .76, is formed with a concentric portion is, of uniform height as related to its gear wheel K, and with a minor depression or shoulder 70*, and a major depression 70 the latter connected with the concentric level portion 70 of the cam 70, by the incline 70 as shown more particularly in Figs. l; and 5, of the drawings.

As a consequence of this construction and arrangement of parts, when the rotation of the gear wheel li, brings the minor depression 1 0 into coincidence with the finger e, of the alarm setting spindle E, the spring 5, forces the said wheel K, outward until said finger contacts with the shoulder forming the bottom of said minor depression 70 as shown in Fig. 3, of the drawings,thereby allowing the said spring pawl S, to withdraw its shoulder s, from in front of the tooth of the alarm escapement wheel a, with which it has been in contact, and permitting the alarm escapement wheel a, to advance until the next succeeding tooth (2) thereof contacts with the tooth .9 of the spring pawl S, as indicated in Fig. 9, of the drawings. This preliminary or initiative movement of the alarm escapement wheel a,

is sufiicient to efiect a single stroke of the hammer h, causing the resonator to sound the incipient alarm. hen the continued rotation of the gear wheel K, brings the major depression 76 into coincidence with the teeler finger e, of the alarm setting spindle it, the spring pawl again raises the wheel K, and cam 76, until the feeler finger 6, contacts with the bottom of the major depression 10 of said cam 7c,thereby effect ing the clearance or the pawl tooth 8 from engagement with the alarm escapement wheel a, as indicated in Fig. 10, of the drawings, so that said alarm escapement wheel is free to rotate and sound the major alarm. The continued rotation of the wheel K, with the feeler linger e, in contact with the cam incline 7:, causes the depression of the cam and wheel hi, and the re-engagement of the spring pawl shoulder s, and tooth with the teeth of the alarm escape-- ment wheel a, as shown in Fig. 8.

In Fig. 11, I have illustrated diagrarm matically this engagement of the pawl shoulder s, and pawl tooth with the teeth of the alarm escapement wheel a, in solid lines, and in dotted lines, the incip ient movement of said wheel when the pawl shoulder a, is withdrawn from contact with said alarm escapement wheel.

The time between the sounding of the incipient or minor alarm and that of the maj or alarm will obviously be governed by the distance between the minor depression In", and the major depression k and this will be prescribed in the formation of the cam, as for live or ten minutes, or any other interval for which the device may be designed.

By my invention it is optional with the user of the clock to cut oh the main alarm after the sounding oi the one-stroke incipient alarm, or to let the alarm take its full course, according to circumstances and requirements.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In alarm clock mechanism of the character designated, the combination with the alarm escapement wheel of a spring pawl formed with a detent shoulder for engagement with the teeth. of said alarm escapement wheel and also with a detent tooth of greater projection than said detent shoulder, an alarm setting spindle having a feeler linger rigidly attached thereto, a cam wheel slidably and rotatably mounted on said alarm set-ting spindle and formed with a hub contacting with said spring pawl, and an annular cam on said wheel contacting with said feeler finger on the alarm setting spindle and "formed with minor and a major cam depressions, for the purpose, and substantially in the manner set forth.

ROBERT S. WATT.

lVitnesses:

Gno. WM. Mm'r'r, BTARGARET K. HANs'rnIN. 

